Classic Hummus, with variations

What’s a vegan web site without a basic recipe for hummus? Here’s ours, with a few tasty variations. This classic Middle Eastern dip is great teamed with fresh pita bread and crisp veggies for scooping it up. It’s a fantastic snack for kids and a great ingredient for wraps or pita sandwiches.

1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed, optional
(or, you can sauté until golden before adding
if you like garlic, but not raw)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Paprika for garnish, optional

Combine all the ingredients except the paprika in a food processor. Process until smoothly pureed, then transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with paprika if you’d like, and serve at room temperature.

Variations:Add a modest amount of any of the following for some fun and flavorful variations. Either chop finely and stir in by hand, or add to the food processor once the hummus is smooth, and pulse on and off a few times to blend in:

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21 comments on “Classic Hummus, with variations”

I love hummus, and I always eat it with crackers. What are other ways to eat hummus? I would like to make yummy healthy sandwiches or something with it, but I know it has to be just so for hummus to taste good with it. So please what is your favorite recipe for hummus snacks ?

We love hummus with veggies – sliced cucumbers are great to balance out a spicy hummus dip, but any veggies will do! We put hummus on any kind of bread or wrap, but a crusty bread or a good wrap or corn tortilla are favorites.

I use it as a sandwich spread: just spread a couple tablespoons on a couple slices of good whole grain bread, top with shredded carrots, paper thin slices/slivers of onion and green and/or red pepper rings. Sometimes when I have it, I’ll shred jicama and put that on too.

I eat my hummus with a spoon!
I’ve mixed spinach and artichoke hearts in and I love the combination, with lots of lemon juice and garlic.
Occasionally, I’ve spooned it into my cooked and drained pasta and it’s wonderful that way!

I happened to have store-bought hummus in the frig. This recipe is by far superior, and so much cheaper. Next time I will crush the garlic before I put it in the food processor for finer distribution. Also, next time I will try cutting the tahini in half, to lower the fat, to see if the great taste is still there. I used the liquid from the garbanzo bean can for the water, as my beans were no-sodium, organic.